Collective Free Electron Excitations in Half-Space Configuration

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new quantum plasma model for half-space electron gases that reveals unique features like density fringes and attractive potentials, enhancing understanding of surface plasmon excitations and related forces.

Contribution

It develops a novel half-space quantum plasma model incorporating dual length scales and electrostatic interactions, revealing new surface phenomena and potential forces.

Findings

Formation of miniature density fringes modulated over an envelope

Presence of an attractive Lennard-Jones-like potential near boundaries

Explanation of Casimir-Polder-like forces between metallic plates

Abstract

Current research presents an innovative model of half-space plasmon excitations for electron gas of arbitrary degeneracy in an ambient jellium-like positive background . The linearized Schr\"{o}dinger-Poisson system is used to derive effective coupled pseudoforce and damped pseudoforce system of second-order differential equations from which the state functions such as the electron probability density and electrostatic potential energy are calculated and the appropriate half-space equilibrium plasmon excitation wave-functions are constructed. Current model of half-space finite temperature electron plasmon reveals many interesting features not present in previous studies. This model benefits a dual length scale character of quantum plasmon excitations taking into account the detailed electrostatic interactions between single electrons and their collective entity in an unmagnetized arbitrary degeneracy electron gas. The interaction of these length scales is remarked to lead to the formation of well defined miniature periodic density fringes in the gas which are modulated over the envelop density pattern and causes the presence of an electron halo in front of the physical jellium boundary of the system. A novel attractive Lennard-Jones-like potential energy forms in front of the boundary for parametric density-temperature region relevant to the strongly doped N-type semiconductors as well as metallic surfaces. The later effect may appropriately explain the Casimir-Polder-like forces between parallel metallic plates in vacuum.